Product dividers serve to separate products from other products that are arranged on a shared shelf of a shelf unit. In the case of shelf units such as, for example, retail shelf units in which products of the same type are arranged one behind the other, the product divider also serves to retain the intended sorting of the products.
Particularly with retail shelf units that are configured as so-called sliding shelf units, the product divider serves as a guide by means of which the lined-up products are guided laterally. Thanks to the product dividers, the products execute a controlled sliding movement that is brought about by the slanted position of the shelf in the sliding shelf units and that occurs when the front-most product is removed. Thus, the product divider or two product dividers situated at the sides prevent the product from slipping out of the row sideways.
The product divider is normally attached to a front area and to a rear area of a tray, for example, to a shelf or to a shelf that is configured as a product slide plate. In so-called product slide plates, which usually have a front and rear upward lip, the product divider is usually attached to the front and rear upward lips.
Prior-art product dividers often call for special tools in order to be installed on the shelf unit. Then, dismantling the product divider is usually only possible with such a tool. Consequently, the installation of the product divider within the scope of the first-time set-up of a shelf unit is still possible since the tool is normally provided with the shelf unit. However, a quick rearrangement of the product dividers later on is usually difficult since the tool is often no longer on hand.